Two Armenian soldiers killed by Azerbaijan gunfire on border
2 Min Read
Armenia reveals that it is investigating the incident while the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry says one border guard troop from its side was wounded as a result of shelling from Armenia, carried out "in the territories observed by the European Union Mission."
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Weapons, military vehicles and equipment surrendered by Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh are displayed in Signag village, Azerbaijan, Sunday, October 1, 2023. (AP)
The Armenian Defense Ministry confirmed on Tuesday that at least two of its soldiers were killed on the southern border by Azerbaijani gunfire, according to preliminary information.
In a statement, the ministry said, "As a result of the Azerbaijani armed forces firing towards Nerkin Hand, the Armenian side has, according to preliminary information, reported two killed in action and wounded".
Earlier that day, the ministry said that "at 5:30 a.m. [01:30 GMT], units of the Azerbaijani armed forces discharged fire from small arms towards the Armenian combat positions."
Armenia revealed that it was investigating the incident while the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said one border guard troop was wounded as a result of shelling from Armenia, carried out "in the territories observed by the European Union Mission."
It added that there were "serious concerns about the aims and purposes of this Mission" - expressing doubt regarding how much the EU Mission is sticking to its role in the region.
Last several days, #EUMA eye witnessed with concern the increased tensions and crossfire at the 🇦🇲-🇦🇿border areas.
— European Union Mission in Armenia (@EUmARMENIA) September 5, 2023
📈We reported on the situation to Brussels.
ℹ️ Our patrols cover AM-AZ border areas & lines of confrontation to report on military & security developments to 🇪🇺. pic.twitter.com/c1WjTPu3Av
Destabilization?
This comes merely two months after Armen Grigoryan, the Secretary of the Armenian Security Council, stated Armenia's willingness to enter into a peace treaty with Azerbaijan either by the end of this year or shortly after.
That signified an improvement in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict - which may now be undermined amid this new update.
In October, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev turned down a European meeting in Spain with Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, due to European support for Yerevan.
Then on December 14, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov called Armenia's proposal that Baku withdraw troops from the Azerbaijani-Armenian border "unacceptable" as it was not delimited yet.
The Nagorno-Karabakh authorities declared that the unrecognized state (Artsakh Republic) would cease to exist from January 1, 2024.
